MLB Player News

Vogelbach was called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Vogelbach has played in 22 games for Seattle this year, hitting just .200 with a .666 OPS and five RBI in 72 plate appearances. He will likely be utilized as a backup first baseman/DH behind Ryon Healy and Nelson Cruz during this stint in the majors, though he is in the starting nine for Friday's contest versus Tampa Bay, playing first base and batting ninth.

Ohtani (finger) will be skipped in the Angels' rotation and could land on the disabled list in the coming days, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The right-hander is set to miss at least one start after suffering a blister on his middle finger during Wednesday's outing. Due to Ohtani's unique role as a designated hitter as well as a pitcher, the Angels may elect to keep him off the disabled list while he continues to provide offensive value. That could be seen as a risk in the event that his blister gets aggravated due to swinging a bat, though that hasn't been the case in the past when dealing with this issue. Since the Angels are able to backdate his potential trip to the DL up to three days, the club will have a little time to figure out the best course of action.

Martinez was removed early from Thursday's game with tightness in his back, but manager Alex Cora expects him to play Friday, Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.

Martinez started in right field Thursday before being replaced by Brock Holt. This was the second time this week that Martinez left a game with back issues, which is something to monitor in the coming days.

Martinez was removed from Thursday's game against the Tigers with minor back tightness, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Manager Alex Cora put Brock Holt in for Martinez to start the eighth inning, but the reason behind the move wasn't made known until after the game. Martinez experienced back spasms Sunday against Houston as well, so this is the second time in a week that his back has given him trouble. Fortunately, Thursday's back issue is reportedly not as severe as what he dealt with against the Astros. Still, it'll be worth monitoring his status Friday before Boston's series opener against the White Sox.

Miller was designated for assignment by the Rays on Thursday, Steve Carney of 620 WDAE reports.

The Rays will search for a trade partner during the next week in order to cleanse themselves of Miller's $4.5 million contract. As previously reported, Miller's roster spot was in jeopardy due to the selection of Jake Bauers' contract from Triple-A Durham and because of his pedestrian play this season. Expect to see a deal worked out sending Miller to another organization within the coming days. Through 48 games this season, he's hit .256 with a .751 OPS.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said the blister Ohtani suffered on his right middle finger during his start Wednesday against the Royals isn't as severe as the one the rookie dealt with in April, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani lasted four innings Wednesday before being pulled due to the blister, taking a no-decision while giving up one run on four hits and three walks and striking out four in the Angels' victory. The 23-year-old occasionally battled blisters during his time in Japan, so it's somewhat unsettling that he's already been removed in two outings this season on account of the same issue. Fortunately for Ohtani, the Angels don't believe the latest occurrence is cause for major concern, and if Scioscia's assessment of the situation is correct, the right-hander may not even be forced to skip a start. After leaving his April 17 outing against the Red Sox with the blister, Ohtani was cleared to take the hill the following week on his normal six days' rest. Ohtani is tentatively lined up to make his next turn June 13 in Seattle.

Canha went 3-for-4 in a loss to the Rangers on Wednesday.

Canha was sporting an impressive .339 average following another 3-for-4 performance back on May 2, but an 11-for-75 slump over his subsequent 22 games had led to a 108-point drop in that figure by month's end. However, Canha has been showing signs of life again since the calendar flipped to June, as factoring in Wednesday's production, he's hitting a red-hot .429 over his first five games of the month. The outfielder's .250 average and .311 on-base percentage have plenty of room for improvement, but Canha has generated a serviceable .446 slugging percentage on the strength of 15 extra-base hits (eight doubles, seven home runs).

Miller could be removed from the 40-man roster when the Rays formally select Jake Bauers' contract from Triple-A Durham ahead of Thursday's game against the Mariners, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Miller was productive in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals with his second three-hit showing of the season, he has been a middling performer at the plate since slugging 30 home runs in 2016. Over the last season and change, Miller has hit .219/.325/.366 (90 wRC+) with 14 long balls in 581 plate appearances, while his limitations in the middle infield forced a permanent move to first base this spring. He has remained a negative defender at the new position and hasn't supplied the sort of power teams covet from corner men, so even if the Rays temporarily keep Miller on the roster, it seems apparent that he'll lose hold of his everyday role once Bauers arrives.

Ohtani exited Wednesday's game prior to the fifth inning with a blister on his right middle finger, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani was seen blowing on his hand throughout the outing, and he was ultimately removed prior to the fifth frame due to the issue. He had allowed just one run through four innings while striking out four prior to exiting. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but it's worth noting that the 23-year-old was only pushed back a couple days after exiting a start earlier in the year with blisters.

Ohtani was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals prior to the fifth inning with an apparent injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Ohtani had a meeting with trainers after warming up for the fifth inning, after which he exited the game and headed straight to the clubhouse. The 23-year-old was seen blowing on his hand/fingers during the game, per Ardaya, suggesting the blisters he dealt with earlier in the season could be back. Ohtani had allowed one run over four innings prior to exiting the game.